What to do if you have a day in Hong Kong when your Cruise Ship docks in Hong Kong?

Hong Kong has a long history of hosting fabulous Cruise Ships from around the World and who wouldn’t want to visit Hong Kong?

30 years ago Hong Kong still had a reputation as being a bit of a shoppers paradise (which started in the 1960’s) but these days times have changed and many people from Europe, USA, Australia etc do not see any value in shopping in Hong Kong despite the fact that Hong Kong has never had a sales tax | VAT.

Prices will be cheaper in your home countries these days… and if you shop on Amazon, well………

I am always mystified why even today the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the Cruise Ship Terminals and Cruise Companies still have the opinion that a Cruise Ship with 2,500 | 5,000 passengers from the USA, Europe and Australia comes to Hong Kong so that people can go shopping.! it is plainly ridiculous.

Case in point, passengers off Cruise Ships docking at the Kai Tak Cruise Ship Terminal in Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong are offered free shuttle buses to 5 destinations in Kowloon, these destinations are all shopping malls!

.... Do you really want to see Hong Kong on your one day here from the top of a double decker bus?

I have been on the Big Bus Tour Buses… the Cruise Companies do deals with the company so that you can get on the bus at the Port Terminal along with 50 | 80 other passengers. I have strong feelings about this service which I will keep to myself but here are a few comments…

unless you can sit upstairs it is a waste of time, actually upstairs is a a lot of fun until it rains.

the commentary through the earphones is very limited

the bus drivers are criticized constantly for driving too fast, I have witnessed this first hand and they do not speak English

you wait far too long for another bus if you have hopped off to have a wander around

their “itinerary” basically follows the same itinerary used by other coach companies that has been around for roughly 60 years

it is not in any shape or form a private tour and you basically learn very little about Hong Kong.

Do you really want to see Hong Kong on a coach with 16 | 30 other people and then be photographed and your image miraculously appears on a cheap plate?

I am not kidding, we have a couple of Tour Companies in Hong Kong that like the HK Tourism Board are living in the past.

The tour itinerary is one that has been in place for around 60 years, it is ok but us Private Tour Guides do a lot better with our itineraries.

the big problem is the goodwill they build up with an ok itinerary is totally ruined by them taking you to a jewellery factory for a bit of forced shopping, this is under the guise of a cultural experience and then they lock you in a room and send in a pack of sales ladies… this can last 30 minutes to one hour.

and half way through the tour they introduce a photographer who takes your picture (without telling you the reason why) and he reappears later with a cheap plate with your image on it! it beggars belief

.. now (and to be fair) the plus point is the coach is comfy and air conditioned and you do get a “local guide” who works to a prepared script (one of the reasons they have not changed the itinerary) and fancies him | herself as a comedian (again, a script).

Frankly, quality wise as a tour it does not compare at all to a high quality Private Tour.

If you didn’t make plans to do a Private Tour of Hong Kong then not to worry, I am always available to do last minute tours.

Cruise Ship Companies as you know offer their own Shore Ecursions which is basically exactly as above (the image with the Splendid Tours Coach) so the same comments apply. For decades they have done deals with local Tour Companies who as mentioned are somewhat reluctant to change anything despite all the terrible reviews they get on Tripadvisor and in the interests of research I have been on these coach tours.

I have not mentioned the Free Tours that are available in Hong Kong because they last only 2.5 hours and are very limited in terms of what you can see. (oh and they are not free, you have to pay a tip)

This is where I come in, none of that nonsense, you spend a day with Jamie who really knows his stuff (go and read my Triipadvisor Reviews via the menu link) and you leave Hong Kong with a new appreciation of this quite extraordinary and complex city.

Hello, I'm Jamie. 46 years living in Hong Kong, 25 years under British Rule, 21 years under Chinese Rule.

Your expert, LOCAL, professional, Private Tour Guide since 2011

That sums me up and what I offer.. please spend a few minutes having a look through my website and decide whether you want a blah experience which you will remember for all the wrong reasons or an experience of a lifetime when you visit one of the most fascinating cities in the World.

Oh my golly gosh, the simply amazing Pagani Zonda Absolute - this is a custom made car and is rumoured to be the only one of it's kind in the world and it is in Hong Kong!... oh... and yes, this is my picture, talk about being in the right place at the right time.

Discover Hong Kong in a day Like a Local | Totally Customisable Private Tours

This is my Hong Kong | Go off the beaten track with Jamie and get the inside track on what Hong Kong is really like

Hello, I'm Jamie. 47 years living in Hong Kong, 25 years under British Rule, 22 years under Chinese Rule so I have a rather unique perspective on Hong Kong | Your expert, LOCAL, professional, Private Tour Guide since 2011

If you really want to know Hong Kong and I mean really know Hong Kong then book a premium private tour with Jamie today | when it comes to Hong Kong, NO topic is off the table no matter how difficult or sensitive the subject matter.

I do take last minute bookings for day | night Private Tours of Hong Kong

Click this image to visit my Tours by Locals Profile + BOOK a tour

I am English so we should have no communication issues.

I do private walking tours in Hong Kong, I am on the streets every day and I have a somewhat interesting perspective of this wonderful city I have called my home for 47 years. My private walking tours of Hong Kong are perfect for visitors who want a detailed overview of Hong Kong prior to exploring on their own and for people who are only here for a day or two who want to make the most of their limited time here.

Many clients book me for their first full day in Hong Kong for their personal walking tour of Hong Kong | they get to see the best that Hong Kong has to offer + a crash course on our wonderful public transport system and then they go exploring for the rest of their stay armed with step by step instructions and recommendations from me.... many of my guests have raved about my self guided tours of Hong Kong.

I am available at very short notice, I get many last minute bookings and may well be available even if you arrive in Hong Kong without making plans! so please check my calendar, simply send me a message for a prompt reply.

I also offer a candid and very personal view of what it is like to live in Hong Kong for over 47 years.

...oh, and if you book a tour then you are booking a tour with me, I do not employ other guides, so explore this great city with one of the best private tour guides in Hong Kong.

oh | I am not an award winning journalist, food critic or professional (whatever that means!) and I absolutely do not have a Board of Advisors.

All images taken with a Sony RX 1r mark 2 camera - it produces amazing images!